Feature Archives

On May 1st, the US assassinated Aden Hashi Eyrow, one of senior leaders of Somalia’s Islamist movement, in an air strike that killed at least 10 other people. Many in Somalia have taken up arms to resist a US backed occupation by Ethiopian troops. Violence has increased in the past year and there have been many well documented cases of war crimes by Ethiopian troops. The upsurge in violence comes as the country is on the brink of a severe drought. The number of people in need of assistance in Somalia has increased to 2.6 million people (35% of the total population), an increase of more than 40% since January 2008.

On April 7, two indigenous Triqui women who worked at the community radio station La Voz que Rompe el Silencio (The Voice that Breaks the Silence) in Oaxaca state were shot and murdered while on their way to Oaxaca city to participate in the State Forum for the Defense of the Rights of the Peoples of Oaxaca. Three other people were injured in the attack.

On Wednesday, April 9th, the Olympic Torch came to San Francisco. The Olympics will be taking place between August 8th and 24th in Beijing, China. Many human rights groups are concerned that China is cracking down on dissidents ahead of the games. Some pro-Tibetan organizations have called for a boycott of the Olympics, and organizations such as Amnesty International are upset with China's involvement in the crises in Darfur and Burma. Thousands of people gathered in an Francisco to either cheer or protest, but few saw the torch as the relay did not go along the announced route and the closing ceremony was cancelled. One torchbearer tried to display a Tibetan flag but the SFPD quickly took the torch from her and pushed her onto the sidewalk.

Fighting between Iraqi government forces and militias loyal to Moqtada Sadr erupted March 25th in Basra. Fighting quickly engulfed Baghdad's Sadr City and spread to other towns. On March 28th, US planes bombed alleged Mehdi Army positions both in Basra and in Baghdad. Despite the US intervention, government troops were unable to pierce Mehdi Army defenses or over-run their positions. The police force in Basra suffered numerous mutinies. On Sunday, March 30th, Sadr called on followers to cease offensive operations in an apparent deal with Maliki's political party negotiated in Iran without Maliki's own support.

In the past week, Israel has mounted a massive offensive against the Gaza Strip. The attacks have claiming the lives of over 112 Palestinians, including many civilians. The clashes reached a peak on March 1st, when Israel sent in a regiment of ground troops killing 77 Palestinians in two days. According to Gaza health ministry statistics, 22 children were killed and more than 350 people were wounded. On March 3rd, Students for Justice in Palestine staged a die-in in Berkeley to protest Israel's actions.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez sent battalions of soldiers to the border with Colombia and put his air force on alert after the Colombian military killed 18 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) inside Ecuador, including Raúl Reyes, a senior official of the FARC. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa fortified his border with Colombia after the incident. Chávez is in the midst of negotiations with the FARC to release hostages, several of whom have already been freed. He warned that a Colombian operation against the FARC inside Venezuela would be a “causus belli."

On January 30th, Elik Elhanan and Bassam Aramin spoke to a crowd of about 80 people in the basement of the Vets Hall in Santa Cruz. They are both members of Combatants for Peace, an Israeli/Palestinian organization made up of former fighters that attempts to now use their experiences to bridge gaps in peoples' understanding of the conflict and work for nonviolent, just, and viable solutions to the conflict.